Images of Mubarak removed as Egyptians refuse to leave Tahrir Square

Published February 13th, 2011 - 13:03 GMT

Egyptians have removed portraits of toppled President Hosni Mubarak which have hung in public and private institutions in the past three decades.

Egyptians have removed portraits of toppled President Hosni Mubarak which have hung in public and private institutions in the past three decades. The ousted leader's image was taken down at the main cabinet office on Sunday, Reuters reported.

At the state press center, a large image of the toppled leader woven into a rug was taken away, an employee said. Photographs of him also disappeared from luxury hotels.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters on Sunday flocked to Cairo's Tahrir Square after the Army sought to keep them away. Witnesses said the gunfire was heard near the headquarters of the Egyptian Interior Ministry during a protest against low wages by hundreds of police. A security guard reported that shots were fired in the air.

The police withdrew from the streets when after they lost control of the anti-regime protests last month. Since the popular uprising succeeded in ousting the country's President Hosni Mubarak last Friday, there have been reports about protests and sit-ins held by police to demand better wages and protect them from possible prosecution.

Early Sunday morning, fights erupted between the Egyptian army and protesters in the Square, while the soldiers were trying to keep the demonstrators away.